(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to surveillance technology and equipment and, more particularly, to a wireless video surveillance system and methods associated therewith.
(2) Background of the Invention
While video surveillance systems have existed in the prior art, typically they are wired devices that are difficult, time-consuming, and costly to install and operate. Also, generally, they do not provide for wireless systems that are secure from wireless interception or Internet enabled interception and permit remote user access for viewing, reviewing stored information, and controlling the system's components, in particular via Internet connection to a remote controller computer or cellular phone or other Internet connected device. Thus, there remains a need in the art for a wireless surveillance system and methods of operating same, providing simple setup and controls for high quality input capture by surveillance input capture devices (ICD), including but not limited to video inputs, and digital input recorder device(s) (DIR) associated with the ICDs, the DIRs data transfer, storage, and control, including systems and methods providing for remote viewing and controls of the ICDs and DIRs via a remote server computer (RSC) and/or Internet access through the RSC.
Examples of prior art may include:    U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 20040136388 published Jul. 15, 2004, for Schaff, for Video-monitor/recording/playback system, describes a stand-alone video recording, playback and Monitoring system. It has network switches, non-volatile storage devices, IP cameras, video servers, and NTSC cameras. The system uses communication channels that are WAN/LAN based and can be hard-wired or wireless.    U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 20020186180 published Dec. 12, 2002, for Duda, William, for Hands free solar powered cap/visor integrated wireless multi-media apparatus, describes an apparatus whereby the functional electronics components of popular consumer communications and entertainment products can be repackaged in a molded plastic module that would be mounted underneath and follow the contour of the visor of a head wearable cap/visor providing the user with a hands free, continuous power, virtually invisible multi-media capability. The module would feature, a drop down visual display, drop down camera lens for low resolution digital photography, rechargeable battery, stereo speakers and earphones, a microphone and microphone boom, manual push button controls and LED indicator lights, input/output jacks, and an interactive voice capability. A flexible solar cell and antenna would be mounted on the upper surface of the head wearable cap/visor providing the wireless link and continuous power to the electronics module. All components would be secured to the head wearable cap visor via two active pins that protrude from the upper surface of the electronic module, pierce the visor, and mate up with the solar cell and antenna on the upper surface of the visor.    U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 20020026636 published Feb. 28, 2002, for LeComte, for Video interfacing and distribution system and method for delivering video programs, describes a video interfacing arrangement for connecting at least one display device to at least one video source composed of a module including a dedicated and programmed digital processing unit adapted to decode and descramble video flow according to a preloaded decoding or descrambling program, in order to display, in real time or delayed in time, to store, to record and/or to send over a telecommunication network, and on at least one screen interface, at least one storage or recording interface, a local or wide area network connecting interface and a user communication and controlling interface, the interfaces being linked to and driven by the processing unit and preferably mounted in or on the module. The invention also concerns a distribution system and a method for transferring encoded video programs and sequences over a wide area network.    U.S. Pat. No. 6,335,742 issued Jan. 1, 2002, to Takemoto, for Apparatus for file management and manipulation using graphical displays and textual descriptions, describes a processor-based display processing apparatus, method and user interface allows for easy understanding of the contents of respective files by present a portion of the respective files as a graphics image along with other associated attributes of the respective files. A computer readable recording medium with a program recorded therein is provided for enabling a computer to function as the apparatus and perform the method. In the display processing apparatus, when an operator selects a folder from a folder display area on a browser screen, a processor controls the selected folder to be identified and displayed, and graphics images of image files contained in the selected folder are displayed in a predetermined display area.    U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 20040008255 published Jan. 15, 2004, for Lewellen, for Vehicle video system and method, describes a vehicle video system includes a small camera in the passenger area that uses illumination in the non-visible spectrum to illuminate the passenger area. The vehicle video system records video information on a digital video recorder that uses digital media such as a hard disk drive, recordable CD (CD-R), rewritable CD (CR-RW), or writable Digital Video Disc (DVD). The vehicle video system includes a local wireless interface, such as a Bluetooth-compatible interface, that automatically connects to a compatible device in the parking area of the vehicle that is coupled to a database. In this manner, the digital video information collected by the vehicle video system is automatically transferred to the database when the vehicle is parked, removing the need for any human intervention for the logging and cataloging of video tapes. The local wireless interface of the vehicle video system also allows other devices, such as a handheld device or a vehicle video system in a different vehicle, to access the stored digital video information.    U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 20040165546 published Aug. 26, 2004, for Roskind, for Time based wireless access provisioning, describes a method and apparatus for the time-based provisioning of wireless devices. A network access point monitors operation of wireless devices within a service region. When provisioning logic is activated at the network access point, the access point determines if the tracked parameter (such as power on or the onset of signal transmission) of the wireless device occurs within a designated time interval from the time of the provisioning activation. If the tracked device qualifies, the network access point proceeds with provisioning the device. In one system embodiment, the network access point tracks the power on time of wireless devices. When a wireless device to be authorized is powered on, the provisioning logic at the network access point notes the power on time. The user then activates the provisioning access at the network access point, and the network access point provisions the wireless device if it is recently powered on.    U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 20030188320 published Oct. 2, 2003, for Shing, for Method and system for a distributed digital video recorder, describes a system and method, for remote display and control of an audio/video data stream from a capture device, e.g., a TV capture card, audio/visual capture card or digital camera capture card in a PC. In an exemplary embodiment there are some components of a software DVR player executing on at least one client device and other components on at least one server device. Users can view and/or control the audio/video data from a server device, having a capture device, on client devices located anywhere as long as they are connected to the server through a network. In addition, a server device with a capture device can support display of the video data at multiple client devices at the same time.    U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 20020188955 published Dec. 12, 2002, for Thompson et al., for Digital video recording and playback system for television, describes a system and apparatus for digitally recording and playing back videos from either an Internet website or a TV broadcast or cablecast is disclosed herein. The system comprises a set-top box, along with the necessary cables and remote control units, that connects between a television set and an Internet hook-up and allows a viewer to digitally record TV shows and/or download video from the Internet and store said video on the set-top box's hard drive for later viewing (using video encoding technology). In addition to the recording and playback capabilities, the disclosed system allows the viewer to pause, rewind, slow motion, and instant replay live television without videotapes or VCR programming.    U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 20040168194 published Aug. 26, 2004, for Hughes, for Internet tactical alarm communication system, describes an Internet tactical alarm communication (ITAC) system includes at least one sensor, at least one video camera, and an ITAC computer delivery unit, wherein the at least one sensor, the at least one video camera, and the ITAC computer delivery unit are communicatively interconnected, and the ITAC system provides real-time data regarding a particular condition.    U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 20020100052 published Jul. 25, 2002, for Daniels, for Methods for enabling near video-on-demand and video-on-request services using digital video recorders, describes a near video-on-demand (VOD) service enabled using a digital video recorder (DVR) for the simultaneous storage and playback of multimedia data. A DVR is connected over a network to a multimedia network source. A VOD selection is requested by the DVR from the network source. A multimedia data signal is received by the DVR from the network source. The data signal contains the requested VOD selection. A first received portion of the received data signal is stored on the DVR. The first received segment is played by the DVR for display on a display device. Simultaneously during the playing of the first received segment, a second received segment of the received data signal is received from the network source and stored on the DVR while the first received segment is played the display device. Thus, the requested VOD selection begins playing on the display device prior to the reception of the entire compressed multimedia data signal so that a requested VOD selection can begin being displayed nearly instantaneously after the request for it is made. A video-on-request (VOR) service is also enabled using a DVR. VOR selection data is received by a centralized database device, such as a network server, from a plurality of users. Each VOR selection data includes at least one requested video selection and video recorder identifying information for identifying each particular video recorder. A transmission priority of requested video selections is determined dependent on the frequency of requests .sup.1received from the plurality of users. A transmission channel and time is determined based on the transmission priority. DVR control signals are transmitted to automatically tune in the determined transmission channel at the determined transmission time and record the particular video selection.
Many large establishments and chains of establishments use the video recorded by their surveillance system to investigate and manage issues such as slip and fall, theft, and other important events. When a significant event occurs, the video clip is downloaded from the DVR that recorded it and several copies of the video are sent/emailed/updated to several people. Multiple significant events occur daily in large establishments, resulting in multiple video transmissions that are taxing their network with no way to manage the data overload and no central way to manage who sees the videos or who shares videos.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,141,007 issued Oct. 31, 2000 to Lebling; P. et al. for Newsroom user interface including multiple panel workspaces teaches a newsroom computer graphical user interface and method for displaying a workspace including non-overlapping, cooperating panels. A first of the panels displays a queue of news stories from a selected data file. A second panel displays the text of a news story selected from the queue. The workspace is displayed in a main application window on a display screen of a computer system that is coupled to a network. The first and second panels may share a common moveable border. A third panel may also be displayed that includes a directory tree of data files from which the selected data file is selected. The second panel may include sub-panels such as one that displays the text of the selected news story; a second that displays information about the news story; and a third that displays machine code for manipulating machines, such as a video playback device, during a broadcast. The machine code may be anchored to a predetermined point in the text displayed in the first sub-panel. The predetermined point is a location in the text at which the machines are controlled in response to the machine code.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,080,124 issued Jul. 18, 2006 to Shankar; Krishnan V. for Digital media resource messaging teaches a digital media resource messaging system provides a convenient digital media resource viewing, managing, organizing, and editing platform that facilitates enhanced resource exchange by storing and forwarding digital media resources via a server between multiple resource-sharing partners designated by the user. In one embodiment, the digital media resource messaging system includes services to view, manage, organize, edit, and exchange digital images and video sequences.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,213,051 issued May 1, 2007 to Zhu; Min et al. for On-line conference recording system teaches a system and method that allow for recording an on-line meeting (also referred to as an “on-line conference”) and saving the recording as a meeting recording file. Additionally, the saved meeting recording file may be played back and/or edited. Moreover, a user may open a meeting recording file during an on-line meeting, and all attendees of the on-line meting can see, as well as hear, the recording content.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,287,053 issued Oct. 23, 2007 to Bodin; William Kress for Ad hoc data sharing in virtual team rooms teaches a method of ad hoc data sharing for virtual teams rooms, including creating at least one user record representing a user granted access to digital assets, wherein each user has a client device, at least two of the client devices are wirelessly coupled for data communications to at least one computer, and each user record comprises a user access privilege field identifying for each user that user's user access privilege for access to digital assets. Embodiments also include receiving from client devices digital asset records representing digital assets, retrieving digital assets in dependence upon the location fields in the digital asset records, displaying the retrieved digital assets, and editing one or more of the retrieved digital assets, wherein the editing is carried out in dependence upon user access privilege and in dependence upon asset access permission.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,426,743 issued Sep. 16, 2008 to Lee; Kuo Chu et al. for Secure and private ISCSI camera network teaches a peer-to-peer camera sensor network is defined using intelligent cameras that employ iSCSI initiators and iSCSI targets to read and write data and to send control commands directly across the network as iSCSI blocks. Because data transfer rides on top of the internet protocol, cameras can be directly attached to the internet without requiring attachment to a host computer. Image data represented as video frames are mapped onto iSCSI data blocks and are shared among the cameras directly to form an efficient virtual block level video image frame storage that can be directly manipulated by multiple cameras without data replications. Transport of multiple streams, associated with scalable or multilevel MPEG encoding scheme for instance, are automatically sequenced and realigned as the iSCSI data blocks are time-aligned.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,886,010 issued Feb. 8, 2011 to Shankar; Krishnan V. for Digital media resource messaging teaches a digital media resource messaging system provides a convenient digital media resource viewing, managing, organizing, and editing platform that facilitates enhanced resource exchange by storing and forwarding digital media resources via a server between multiple resource-sharing partners designated by the user. In one embodiment, the digital media resource messaging system includes services to view, manage, organize, edit, and exchange digital images and video sequences.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,899,887 issued Mar. 1, 2011 to Conn; Eric for Real time collaborative on-line multimedia albums teaches methods and systems for creating, editing and monitoring real-time collaborative on-line multimedia albums at a host site. The invention facilitates the construction of the multimedia albums which comprise digital content, such as photos and video clips, provided by multiple digital content contributors, taken from each contributor's unique perspective. The invention uniquely creates these multimedia albums to be optimized for dynamic updating, real-time interaction, and rapid dissemination to a viewing audience, for public and/or private viewing, either one photo/video clip at a time or as a slide-show.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,920,528 issued Apr. 5, 2011 to Karaoguz; Jeyhan et al. for View sharing between in-range devices teaches a system and method for sharing a view between systems in a dynamic wireless communication network. Various aspects of the present invention may comprise a first system communicating information of a view to a display resource of the first system. The first system may establish a two-way wireless communication link between the first system and a second system in the dynamic wireless communication network. The second system may, for example, communicate a request to the first system for the first system to share a view with the second system. The first system may, for example, receive such a request and respond to such a request by communicating information of a view to the second system. The second system may then communicate information of the view to a display resource of the second system. Various aspects may comprise the first and second systems communicating view modification information between the systems.
US Patent Application 20070075857 issued Apr. 5, 2007 to Chang; Cheng-Jyh; et al. for Video surveillance system teaches a video surveillance system is used with a plurality of video sources and a monitor. The system includes a video surveillance control device in communication with the video sources and the monitor; and a video surveillance control program operated in the video surveillance control device for controlling the video surveillance control device to output a display signal to the monitor, thereby showing a user interface on the monitor. A user interface editor is provided in the video surveillance control device for allowing a user to edit the user interface according to his or her demand.
US Patent Application 20110169634 issued Jul. 14, 2002 to Raj; Ranga; et al. for Apparatus and Methods for Distributing and Displaying Emergency Communications teaches methods and systems for event management, allowing authorized users or authorities to distribute and display emergency communications on digital displays. In one aspect, an emergency management communications system receives event data sent by an emergency detections system comprised of a network of sensors. The emergency management communications system processes the event data to determine an event perimeter, and then selects one or more digital displays based upon the event data or the determined event perimeter. Next, the emergency management communications system authors one or more emergency communications corresponding to the one or more digital displays and sends said one or more emergency communications to said one or more digital display, thereby allowing the one or more digital displays to display the corresponding one or more emergency communications to the affected populations.